An $11 billion acquisition that turned into a costly debacle for Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett Packard more than a decade ago is back in the spotlight as a criminal trial kicks off in San Francisco federal court. The trial will explore whether HP's acquisition of British software maker Autonomy was an illegal rip-off or a case of botched management.

The deal, celebrated as a coup when it was announced in 2011, quickly turned sour for HP as the company's fortunes continued to decline. Meg Whitman, who was hired as CEO just before the deal was completed, had hoped the acquisition would help lift HP out of the doldrums, but it instead became an albatross that dragged the company down. Whitman eventually oversaw a breakup of HP into two entities in 2015 and stepped down as CEO of the spun-off company, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, in 2018.

The trial focuses on former Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch and former vice president of finance Stephen Chamberlain, who are facing 16 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy. If convicted, they could each face more than 20 years in federal prison. The trial is expected to run until late May or June and will include testimony from over 40 witnesses.

Former Autonomy chief financial officer Sushovan Hussain was sentenced to five years in prison in 2019 after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy. Lynch, who made over $800 million on the Autonomy sale to HP, has been living under court-mandated restrictions in San Francisco on a $100 million bail bond while awaiting trial.

In a civil trial in London, Lynch maintained his innocence and portrayed himself as a scapegoat for a management team led by Whitman, whom he accused of being "out of her depth." Whitman, on the other hand, described Lynch as an unstable executive and claimed his complaints about her decisions were unfounded.

The trial is expected to shine a spotlight on Whitman's leadership at HP and the events that led to the disastrous Autonomy acquisition. While Whitman is not expected to testify in Lynch's trial, her actions and decisions are likely to be scrutinized throughout the proceedings.